Travel for immortals was fast—instant even. This was no exception. One second, Dagur was in Corinth, the next, he was on Mount Olympus. Looking around, he saw a group of gods, particularly the queen and king. Annoyance spread over his face as his eyes trailed down to the sword still pressing against his throat.

"That's getting old, Al."

Alvin's harsh gaze did not change. "So are your tricks, Dagur."

Dagur glanced over at Stoick and Valka. Their expressions were unreadable. Most of the groups' were. He knew that the majority of them would be silent. Only immortal royalty would get a real chance to talk, so the issue was Viggo. His expression was calm. It was too calm. Dagur knew he would have to act quickly or his chance to get through to the others would be gone.

"Look, I don't know what you think I'm doing, but I'm not trying to trick anybody," he stated, stepping away from the blade.

"Explain what you were doing in Corinth," Alvin ordered. He turned to the crowd. "He struck my followers with madness, Stoick. Had them pollute the sea!"

"That's not even how my powers work. You're just making stuff up."

"Any god can strike someone with madness."

"Yeah, but that's not my style." Dagur let out a quick laugh. "I always figured I had enough for any situation I was in. Any more would get weird."

Briefly, it seemed like Stoick believed him. Then Viggo spoke.

"It's difficult to take you at your word, Ares, when you so consistently undermine other gods' work and operate in secrecy."

He spoke again before Dagur could say anything. The lord of the Underworld looked at Stoick and Valka.

"I don't think it's necessary to remind you of the chaos he caused in my kingdom, but I'd like to address the point that he has also antagonized the Arcadians. Athens and Arcadia have not had a quarrel with one another until now."

"That's because either you or Al got in their heads."

"We lack powers of influence," Viggo said calmly. "That's your domain, isn't it? I believe you call them your 'war whispers.'"

Dagur scowled at him, wishing that the king would lose his immortality just long enough for him to reach him.

"It's not influence if you take full control of them," he said through gritted teeth.

"A wild accusation, but what I do believe is that it's too much of a coincidence for you to be involved with Athens, leading those young heroes into battle on a regular basis and now, battling with people who have never had a reason to attack."

"You're trying to act like you're different," Alvin said. "We know you're the same cruel, violent, war god you've always been. You've been getting away with this for a long time, but you've taken it too far now. You're endangering other gods like Demeter and Apollo too. How long will it be till you have all of our temples destroyed?"

Anxiously, Dagur looked at Stoick. He was not sure if he could sway Valka, but he hoped that the lightning god would be willing to listen to him.

"Zeus, you saw my team in action. I'm not having them go around, killing everybody they see. Would I have done that before? Probably. Not now, though. Think about Skullcrusher! I helped you two meet."

The other kings looked at Stoick. His eyes lowered slightly, then he sighed.

"I don't know if you only did that to distract me." He raised his gaze to the other immortal. "It's not out-of-character for you to try to sabotage the gods of Olympus, Ares. That's why you're here. Once and for all, I need to know if you're our enemy. No one's leaving until I do."

Despite wanting to do this quickly, Dagur could tell that he would not be able to go and find the cousins this time. For the time being, they were on their own. In Corinth, Hiccup was trying to decide what to do.

"They must have gone to Mount Olympus," he mentioned, brows furrowed.

There were a thousand things he wanted to do, but most of them were impossible. He could not go to that mountain. He could not even find out what the reason was for the sudden abduction. All he could do was try to keep matters from devolving into chaos back where he was. With tension rising in him, he patted Toothless's head.

"This was a trap. Berk might be in danger. Sleuther, Bud, let's go! They'll need our help!"

As fast as they could, the trio flew back to Athens. Toothless could tell that Sleuther did not want to leave, but he did to help the others. The winged horse knew he would be just as scared if something had happened to his rider. As they flew, Snotlout was still helping the other Athenians deal with the Arcadian army. The group was larger—larger than the numbers shared by the Berkians, but they managed. They still had their trench and they still had their warriors. The time it took for the invaders to begin figuring out how to deal with the trench, the others were warned and ready for battle. They fired arrows at their foes, taking down several. This was how they lowered their enemies' numbers for a little while. Then the Arcadians hurled spears at the Athenians while throwing ropes, latching them onto trees. Realizing what was about to happen, the defending group cut as many ropes as they could, but the Arcadians still began to cross over into their territory.

Spitelout ran one warrior through, impaling him in the chest with a sword. Snotlout leapt off Hookfang's saddle to fight beside his father. They stayed, backs facing each other, slashing any foe within range. Hookfang tried to keep groups of Arcadians close together so that he could burn them without risking the life of any ally. Slowly but surely, the attackers' numbers dwindled. Tiredly, the heroes checked over their own people, making sure that anyone who was injured would be cared for. Snotlout helped someone limp over to a seat.

"Gustav," he said, looking over his shoulder, "get some bandages."

The younger Berkian nodded, then ran off. He found first aid equipment in his hut and began to return. Before he could fully, he froze.

"No," he muttered.

Speeding up, he darted back to where Snotlout was. The warrior immediately saw the fear in his eyes.

"There are more!" he cried.

"What?"

Gustav pointed behind him. "That wasn't it! There are more soldiers and they've got flaming arrows too."

Frowning, Snotlout turned to the warriors who were still able to fight.

"This isn't over yet," he called out. "We're going to need to keep some water ready. They've got flaming arrows."

Instantly, the group went off to the stream. They filled up as many buckets as they had, but they barely made it back in time. An arrow flew past Snotlout's face, nearly grazing him. His eyes widened at the skill of the shot. The Arcadians were still far from the trench, but apparently, the Berkians were in range. These enemies were too far for them to accurately shoot arrows at, so they had to take cover. Gradually, the group's arrogance grew. They got closer. They got in range. Snotlout was watching them through his sword, using its metallic surface as a mirror. When he saw them approach, he leapt from behind his cover. He switched weapons to use the bow and arrow. His trainees joined him, taking out a dozen of these attackers. Nonetheless, the fighters went in shifts. Behind them were more. The Berkians fought constantly leading all the way up to the arrival of the other heroes.

Hiccup's eyes widened in concern. Before he could do anything, Sleuther flew down to attack the invaders. The chimera had been agitated during the entire flight. This was a chance for him to release his rage. He opened his mouth wide, roasting various enemies. As he got closer, he used the snake portion of himself to bite someone as he slashed another duo with his claws. Still in the sky, Hiccup saw that the number of enemies was lowering quickly. That should have been a relief, but he only felt more dread. There was a strange wind. It was unnatural. Looking around, he discovered the reason. A pit formed in the boy's stomach. Speedily, he and Toothless landed again. They went straight for his shop. He was spotted by Gustav on the way, so the other Berkian ran to keep up with them. Once they arrived in the shop, Hiccup gestured to some pots.

"What are we doing?" Gustav asked, nervously watching the inventor melt down metals.

"We're making a poison."

Gustav's brows rose in shock. Hiccup glanced up, eyes determined.

"Charybdis is here. If Dagur's right, it won't be long before Berk is swallowed. We have to poison her before that can happen."

Horrified by the thought of getting sucked into the sea, Gustav nodded. "I'll go to the stables."

"Good. Get anything you can find that's toxic. While the others are fighting, we can make this."

Gustav darted off to get all the horse dung and droppings from any other animals they kept in the city. Hiccup heated the materials faster than he ever had in the past. Although they might not be useful in their solid form, he was certain that swallowing melted metal would be enough to upset anyone's stomach. Gustav returned with the waste, adding it to the large pot that Hiccup was working with. Together, they picked it up, putting it on Toothless's back. With Hiccup, the Pegasus began to fly over the sea. Something else made this challenging. The sea monster's mouth was open. This caused the wind to be stronger. As Charybdis inhaled, water, bits of land, and the very air itself seemed to get consumed. Toothless flapped harder, fighting against the brutal pull. Despite it all, he had to get closer.

The sight of Charybdis was terrifying. There were giant fangs that poked out of the water, going in rings. In the very center was a dark spot where water spun the fastest. Toothless and Hiccup knew that if they made one mistake, they could fall and get cut into pieces by the fangs or devoured. In spite of his racing heart, Hiccup patted the horse's side encouragingly.

"We can do this, Bud."

Toothless let out a soft noise, trying to adjust his flight pattern to still fly closer without losing control. Snotlout saw them from back on Berk as his eyes widened in concern. Even though he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do. The other Berkians were exhausted from the fights, so his hands were full with protecting them while fighting opponents. Fatigue turned to fear when they began to notice Charybdis too. A small chunk of Berk broke off, going into the whirlpool. Snotlout caught a Berkian's hand, pulling her back onto the land in time. This land was not the only part that was at risk. More chunks broke. Hookfang and Sleuther kept the foes on the outskirts, leaving them to fall while the Berkians went further in-land. They huddled there while Toothless and Hiccup kept flying. The wind changed, requiring them to account for this if they wanted the substance to land in the correct spot. Hiccup saw where they had to go. He gestured off to the right slightly.

"Now, Toothless!" Hiccup called out.

Hovering there, Toothless waited for Hiccup to tip over the pot. The contents fell, getting blown by the wind perfectly. The substance landed directly in the creature's mouth. Its effects were not immediate, but they remained impactful. The duo began returning to Berk. Slowly, they noticed that the pull was weaker. Charybdis was beginning to swim away, sinking deeper into the sea. No one could believe they were safe yet. It took several minutes of silence and surveillance for them to accept that there were no more monsters or armies, then they celebrated.

"We did it!" Snotlout cried happily.

"Knew we could!" Gustav added.

Snotlout was smiling, but when he looked over at Hiccup, the expression faded.

"Wait," he said. "Where's Dagur?"

"I don't know. Mount Olympus probably."

"Why—"

"It was a trap. Poseidon was expecting us." Frustrated, he gestured to the coast. "This was Poseidon's attempt to kill us. He wanted to keep me in Corinth while he killed all of you here. After we showed up, he appeared out of nowhere and got Dagur."

Snotlout's eyes widened. "What do we do? We can't leave him with Poseidon."

"We can't go there either."

"Then…what can we do?"

Hiccup's heart ached worse when he saw Sleuther lay down, miserably looking at the ground.

"Wait."

Neither of them liked the plan, but he had nothing better to offer. They could not speak on behalf of their friend. Suddenly, Hiccup's frown became more confused.

"I wonder why Athena wasn't here to help us. This is her city."

"Or Apollo. He should've seen this coming."

Dread hit both boys as they considered how big of a scheme this was. The gods had not ignored them out of cruelty. They had only been following the command of their ruler. The immortals went to Mount Olympus, no one fully knowing why they were asked. Shocked, they saw the war god.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked.

"Dagur's finally going to be punished for his crimes," Alvin answered.

Heather glared at him. "What crimes?"

"You're one to talk," he retorted. "He endangered your followers."

"He helped them."

"Demeter," Viggo added, "is that what he did, or did he merely want you to believe that?"

Heather scowled at him too. She could not believe that they were really trying to appear like the innocent ones. Unfortunately, looking at the king and queen, she saw that it was easy for the couple to fathom such a thought. Astrid saw this too and approached.

"You know that I've never been a fan of Ares, but he's not our enemy."

"Something is happening in the world, Astrid," Stoick said. "It's becoming unbalanced. It's been this way for years. If it's not Ares, who's responsible?"

The goddess got quiet, wondering if it would be wise to reveal more information. She wished that she could without also risking the other kings sabotaging the rest of the immortals. What she needed was proof of their actions. Sadly, that was just what she lacked. Fishlegs hesitantly approached.

"Maybe whoever it is wants us to think it's Ares because he's the most obvious choice," he offered.

"The most obvious choice doesn't mean it's impossible to be true," Valka commented.

"No, but it doesn't mean it is," Heather remarked.

"If we punish Ares without finding the true culprits, they'll still go free," Atali said.

"If you punish Ares, Zeus," Viggo interjected, "you'll be able to see if the chaos stops. If it doesn't, then by all means, continue your search."

"Why not have everybody stay on Mount Olympus?" Tuffnut suggested.

Ruffnut nodded. "If we're all here, you'll know nothing can happen."

Alvin shook his head. "We have work to do. We can't afford to stop everything just because of one god's actions."

"We don't know if it's only one," Gobber said, eyes on the sea king. "There could even be two or more guilty gods."

"If you have no proof better than centuries of destructive behavior, how can we trust that?" Viggo inquired.

The group looked at Stoick and Valka nervously. They were losing them. Dagur stepped forward.

"I'll be the first to admit that I used to be a pretty violent god. I still am, but that doesn't mean I want the world to be in chaos. I'm actually trying to help. I think you know that." He stood taller. "Wars are brutal, but the spirit of battle can be a great thing. Without that, no injustices in the world would ever be challenged. That's what I'm trying to do now. I was the one who brought up the problems going on in the first place. That's not because I was causing them. If I was, the last thing I would've done is bring them to your attention. I'm really trying to make Greece better for gods and mortals."

The rulers got quiet.

"A noble purpose," Viggo said, placing a hand on Dagur's shoulder. "It would be easier to believe if the only temple dedicated to you was not in Athens, built by the heroes you recruited."

Dagur paled as he felt Stoick's gaze become skeptical. Viggo kept speaking.

"We've always known you to be vindictive and envious. How can we expect that now, when you have only one temple compared to the hundreds some of us have, you are acting so selflessly? If you sabotage us and make us all as hated as you are, then you'll have more power." He turned to look at Stoick again. "This is about considering someone's previous actions. There's only so much changing anyone can do. He's the same war god we've always known. Only now, he's plotting against us because he's grown bored of causing problems for mortals."

Dagur tried to think of a defense, but Stoick raised his hand. His eyes were closed, only opening when he felt Valka set a hand on his arm.

"Ares, god of war, you've been found guilty of conspiring against the other gods of Olympus."

"I'm innocent!"

"As punishment," Stoick continued, "you will be sentenced to Tartarus until it's determined that you haven't caused the chaos."

Dagur lunged forward furiously. "It's Alvin and Viggo!" he roared. "They're tricking you! Don't let them get away with it!"

Stoick remained seated, expression harsh. He shared a glance with Alvin, putting a smile on the sea king's face. He made shackles appear, clamping them onto the war god's wrists. Dagur tried to move forward, but the larger immortal pulled him back. He dragged him off of Mount Olympus, smirking wider with the curses directed his way.

"You lost, Dagur."

"This isn't over, Alvin," he hissed.

Suddenly, Alvin stopped. His eyes blazed angrily. In a flash, he drew his trident. Yanking the chains to pull the other immortal closer, he shot a blast out of the weapon. Dagur sucked in a sharp breath, then he felt ichor dripping down his face. The redhead closed his right eye as gold stained his skin and clothes. He felt angrier when his left eye showed him a wider smirk on Alvin's face.

"I heard the scent of ichor and blood attracts them," Alvin revealed.

A sense of worry hit Dagur when he saw a portal open in the ground. His throat got dry and planted his feet, but it was no use. He was thrown inside. The fall was long, making him almost think this was a bottomless pit. At last, he hit the ground with a thud. Grunting, Dagur tried to get up. He had to move fast because a snarl alerted him to one of the many monsters sent to rot in Tartarus. He was one of them now.

"Get comfortable," Alvin called down. "You're never leaving this place."

Poor Dagur. Well, not much of a consolation, but this is basically myth-accurate bad blood between Ares and Poseidon. The sea king's son (one of many) either assaulted or attempted to assault Ares's daughter, Alcippe. In response to that, Ares, in full protective dad mode, brutally murdered him. This actually led to the first trial in Greek mythology. Athena suggested they do this, so Ares was ultimately acquitted. It was said that the goddesses were mostly responsible for this verdict. Now, there are some versions where Zeus didn't want to hear his mouth, so he stopped assaulting as many people for a while and another version where Ares was actually found guilty. (Let's be honest, I'm not gonna be mad at him for protecting his daughter, but the answer to 'did he kill the guy?' is a resounding yes.) Along with that, Poseidon's OTHER kids, twin giants called the Aloadae (or Otus and Ephialtes if you want to be specific) wanted to forcibly marry Hera and Artemis. To protect his mom and little sister, Ares fought them, but it didn't go well and he was captured. He was put in a jar called a Pithois. It was a human-sized type of container sometimes used to store corpses. He stayed there for 13 months, called a lunar year. Therefore, no, he wasn't in Tartarus, but he was still imprisoned and Dagur was imprisoned in a prison with a bunch of other criminals, so I wanted to match that. Guess somebody will have to tell our heroes…I'm sure that'll go fine :D.